Witch Hunt (1994) (TV)

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writer (WGA):

Joseph Dougherty (written by)

Release Date:

10 December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Fantasy | Mystery

Plot:

In a twisted 1950's where everyone does magic, a private detective investigates a murder case without it.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | 1950s | Private Detective | Infidelity | Sequel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Dennis Hopper	...	H. Phillip Lovecraft
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Kim Hudson
Eric Bogosian	...	Sen. Larson Crockett
Sheryl Lee Ralph	...	Hypolyta Kropotkin
Julian Sands	...	Finn Macha
Valerie Mahaffey	...	Trudy
John Epperson	...	Vivian Dart (as Lypsinka)
Debi Mazar	...	The Manicurist
Alan Rosenberg	...	N.J. Gottlieb
Christopher John Fields	...	Lt. Morris Bradbury
John Durbin	...	Brackett
Gregory Bell	...	Shakespeare
Terry Camilleri	...	Minister
Christopher Darga	...	G-man #1 (as Chris Darga)
Stanley DeSantis	...	Sidney

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong language and a scene of nudity.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video premiere) | USA:R | Australia:M

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

While making the circuit of talk shows to promote this movie, Dennis Hopper stated it was the strangest movie he had been in.

Goofs:

Continuity: After waking up at Vivian Dart's house, Lovecraft applies ice to his forehead although he was soundly hit on the back of his head.

Quotes:

Senator Crockett: Let me tell you a little something about 'The People' Phil; you lock any ten of them in a room, they may not elect a leader, but I guarantee they'll pick someone to hate.

Movie Connections:

Follows Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Put a Spell on You

Disappointing and dull.

I loved 'Cast A Deadly Spell' but this sequel is a stinker. Same writer so it's difficult to say what went wrong this time around but 'Witch Hunt' has none of the wit or fun of the original, and the parallels with McCarthyism are trite and obvious. As a horror movie it fails, as a film noir it fails and as a comedy it fails. I watched again recently in case I had unfairly dismissed it and I found it so dull and unentertaining I could hardly be bothered watching it til the end. How Paul Schrader of all people ended up directing this is beyond me! Maybe he just needed the money... Anyway, I'm sure he tries to forget it ever happened. It's easily his least interesting movie. I'm a big Dennis Hopper fan but he is miscast and looks very uncomfortable. Maybe Fred Ward might have been able to save this one, I don't know. The supporting cast is below par too - Penelope Anne Miller instead of Julianne Moore and Julian Sands instead of David Warner - there's no contest. I would suggest you forget about watching this and rent 'Cast A Deadly Spell' instead.